Yesterday Jesse Stewart, Dick Johnson and I went to see the Graysmarsh 3rd
year Slaty Backed Gull. We found a large yellow eyed 3rd year gull, quite close
to the beach access at the end of Wilcox Lane, and it fitted Scott Atkinson's
description perfectly. The only comment I would make is that it appeared much
paler on the mantle than the California bird photographed by Joe Morlan. The
mantle and wing coverts in the bird we saw at Graysmarsh were only a little
darker than those of the various Glaucous winged or GW/Western hybrids around
it.

When I read Scott's description of the Graysmarsh bird I realised I had seen
an almost identical bird on the north shore of the Quimper Peninsula, 2 miles
East of Cape George, where I live. At the time I put it down as just another
hybrid, but it did have yellow eyes. I went back today and it's still there. It
has dull yellow eyes, with a dark line behind the eye, a dull yellow bill
with a broad subterminal black band, extensive brown smudging on head, neck and
breast, medium gray mantle, wing coverts similar in shade of gray but smudged
brown, white tail with broad dark gray subterminal band, and dull pink legs.
Its wingtips at rest are blackish gray with very narrow white tips to the
individual outer primaries - in flight, from above, they just look rather darker
gray than the rest of the wing with no strong contrasts. The only difference I
could see from the Graysmarsh bird is that it has more extensive head, neck and
breast smudging.

There are a couple of large dark - eyed third year gulls which also have
strong dark gray tail bands, but I am still calling those hybrids.

Comments, please! These birds are about 2 miles beach walk from the private
access here at Cape George, or 4 (!) miles walk from public access at North
Beach, Port Townsend. You need half tide or lower.

Also in the Sequim area yesterday we saw a Eurasian Wigeon at Graysmarsh, a
Northern Shrike at Three Crabs, and a Eurasian Green Winged Teal at Helen's
Pond.

Richard Isherwood
Port Townsend, WA
Risherwood at aol.com